“I agree. You’ve got too much to lose. Does she know where you live?”
“I’m sure she can look it up. I hope she’s not crazy enough to try to come by my house.”
“She just might. I don’t put anything past anyone, especially a woman who’s on a mission.”
“You’re right about that,” Johnny said with a heavy sigh.
Bernard cleared his throat. “I hate to even ask you this, but does she know who Geneva is? I mean, does she know her real name?”
Johnny was silent.
“Damn, you told her Geneva’s name?”
“I’ve been seeing Vivana for five months, so of course Geneva’s name has come up.”
“But you know the rules of the game.”
“Yeah, I know I could’ve made up a name like I’ve done in the past, but for some reason I didn’t. Besides, Vivana told me her husband’s name and I even know what he does for a living and where he works. He’s a boring-ass accountant, and with a name like Wilbert, what can you expect.”
Bernard laughed. “I ain’t never heard of no brother with a name like Wilbert.”
“Tell me about it.”
“You sure that’s his real name?”
“It was hard for me to believe, too, and I even told her so. It wasn’t until she Googled him on her laptop one night, right in front of me, that I believed her.”
“Damn, she’s bold to do something like that.”
Johnny shook his head. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“How much information did you share with her about Geneva?”
“Actually, I lied about what she does.”
Bernard sighed with relief. “Ever since I straightened out my life, I no longer condone lying. But in this case I encourage it, and I’m glad you did.”
“Me too. I told her that Geneva works in the healthcare field. I didn’t tell her where she works or what she does, just that she’s in healthcare.”
Bernard cleared his throat. “Don’t go gettin’ Candace mixed up in your lies. We don’t need that shit.”
Johnny couldn’t believe how pussy-whipped his friend had become. Although the thought had crossed Johnny’s mind to use Bernard’s girlfriend as an alibi if needed, especially because she was a nurse who worked odd hours, he had no intention of involving Candace in his business, mainly because he knew she wouldn’t comply.
“Calm down,” Johnny said. “I wouldn’t do that.”
“Good. The less information Vivana knows the better, and don’t tell her anything else about your home life either.”
Johnny’s mind started racing. “I hope she doesn’t start acting crazy and do some dumb shit. I can tell from our phone call that she’s starting to get in her feelings.”
“If that’s the case, you’re definitely gonna have to end it, and you’ll probably have to let her down gently if you don’t want any problems. But even then she might act a fool.”
“I should’ve listened to you last night because now I’m wishing I’d kept my ass home.”
Bernard breathed heavily into the phone. “The important thing is that you’ve come to your senses and you’re gonna end it. When do you plan to tell her?”
“As soon as possible.”
“Good.”
“I just have to figure out how I’m gonna do it, ’cause like you said, I need to break it off gently because Vivana’s so damn volatile. If she was afraid of getting caught, I’d have some leverage, but from what she said on the phone, it’s almost like she wants her husband to find out. She comes home late and sometimes not at all, and then she catches an attitude if he asks her about where she’s been.”
“That’s fucked up, man.”
“Tell me about it. I couldn’t and wouldn’t stand for that.”
“That’s what you do to Geneva, and it’s what I did to Suzanne. Sometimes things come back to bite you . . . I’m just sayin’.”
“I get that, but still,” Johnny said with frustration, “that’s not how I want things to roll.”
“She sounds pretty bold. Do you think she has violent tendencies?”
Johnny paused and then sat down in his chair as he thought about Bernard’s question. Even before last night and this afternoon he’d recognized subtle things about Vivana’s choice of words and behavior that had led him to believe she was the kind of woman who could get physical if she was pushed to a certain point. “Probably so. Anyone can go there if they get mad enough.”
“True,” Bernard said. “But it usually takes a lot to push a woman to the point of physical violence. When a woman’s pissed, and I mean really mad, she might curse you out, give you the silent treatment, or show her ass and get loud with you. But most won’t take it to a physical level unless they’re completely out of control.”
“You think Vivana’s gonna do something stupid?”
“Like I said, I don’t put anything past anyone. I’ve seen it all working in security. After you cut things off, she’ll be a woman scorned, and you know what they say about that.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“I’m not trying to alarm you, but from everything you’ve told me about Vivana, you better be very careful. I’ve had a bad feeling about her and this whole situation from day one. Watch your step, man.”
Johnny rubbed his chin and leaned back in his chair. “Up until last night she’s been cool, and things were going fine. Then all of a sudden she starts acting strange, wanting to meet during the middle of the day, questioning me about whether or not I love my wife . . .”
“Oh, yeah,” Bernard said. “She’s more than just in her feelings, she’s caught up. And if she doesn’t give a damn about her husband, well, she really has nothing to lose and she might try to hijack your shit.”
Johnny shook his head in frustration. “Ain’t gonna happen. I’ve made up my mind and I’m putting an end to this before that has a chance of happening.”
“You can’t just cut her off cold. You gotta be smooth about it or some shit’ll really jump off.”
“I know, and I will.”
“And listen, I got your back, man.”
Johnny smiled. “I appreciate you, brother. You could’ve said I told you so, but you didn’t. Trust and believe me when I say I’ve learned my lesson.” Johnny meant every word that he’d said. Bernard was the one friend whom he knew he could always count on, and Johnny was glad that Bernard always looked out for him.
“No problem. That’s what real friends do. We’re brothers, you know that.”
“Yes, we are. Thanks again. I needed this call.”
Bernard laughed. “You got so much going on and we got so wrapped up in your situation that I almost forgot why I called you.”
“What’s up?” Johnny asked.
“After we got off the phone last night, Candace came over because her shift ended early. She spent the night and I wanted you to know in case you told Geneva you stayed over here. ’Cause, man, you know how things can happen, and if Geneva runs into Candace and decides to question her about where you were last night, the gig’s up.”
“You’re right about that.” Johnny didn’t tell Bernard that was exactly what he’d planned to do.
“And, playa, I’m tellin’ you now, Candace ain’t gonna lie for you, so you better hope she doesn’t run into Geneva.”
“I really have to figure something out fast.”
The two friends talked a few more minutes before Bernard had to take another call. After Johnny hit the end button on his phone, he sat back and thought about his bad luck. He knew he should’ve been very worried, just like he was only moments ago, but for some reason he wasn’t. Then he realized it was because putting an end to his affair with Vivana was going to free up his time, his money, and his anxiety.
But he also knew that breaking up with Vivana was going to be a little tricky. She was hotheaded and aggressive, and he knew she wouldn’t be pleased about him rejecting her. But she was a professional woman, and was married to a professional man,
who apparently had a level head. Although she talked a tough game, Johnny hoped that Vivana wouldn’t do anything crazy or far out in left field. If there was one thing he knew about her, it was that she was rooted in material trappings, and she wouldn’t want to jeopardize her comfortable lifestyle. She might be angry at first, but he knew she’d get over it.
As Johnny sat at his desk and thought more on the matter, he decided that he was going to gradually stop returning Vivana’s phone calls, responding to her texts, and limit their physical contact. “Yep, things change,” he said to himself. But right now he couldn’t let his mind get bogged down worrying about his mistress. He had to handle things one step at a time, and that meant first things first. He called China Express, placed his to-go order, and then walked out the door.
Chapter 7
VIVANA
“He must’ve forgotten who the fuck he was talking to,” Vivana said in an angry tone. She’d just gotten off the phone with Johnny and she could feel her blood pressure rising from his conversation with her. “I can’t believe that son of a bitch hung up on me!” she fumed. “He must be out of his freakin’ mind.”
Vivana had sensed when she called Johnny that things wouldn’t go well, but she didn’t think he’d dismiss her, as if he had better things to do than engage in a few minutes of conversation. “I knew something was up with him,” she said to herself. “Now I need to find out what the hell is going on.”
Vivana could tell something was wrong by the way Johnny had acted when they awoke this morning. She’d been lying beside him, pretending to be asleep, when he opened his eyes. The minute he realized the sun was out, he sat straight up in bed as if gunshots had been fired.
“What time is it?” he’d asked in a panic. “The damn sun is out!” He looked past Vivana’s naked body encased under the sheet and peered at the digital alarm clock on the nightstand. “Shit! It’s seven o’clock,” he yelled. “Did you set the alarm?”
“Well, good morning to you, too,” Vivana said with sarcasm.
Johnny ignored her and bolted out of bed. “Why didn’t you set the alarm? Shit, I can’t believe I’ve been out all night. Geneva’s gonna have a damn fit!”
Vivana was so put off she could have spit right in Johnny’s face. Here it was she’d just given him the best sexual experience he’d probably ever had, and all he could think about was the fact that he’d stayed out all night, and that his boring nag of a wife was going to be upset. She thought he should’ve been on cloud nine but instead he was bitching and moaning about something as simple as oversleeping.
“Why didn’t you set the alarm?” he asked again.
She watched as Johnny hurriedly pulled his pants up his muscular legs and searched the floor for the sky-blue dress shirt he’d worn yesterday. Even when she was mad at him, which was an emotion she definitely felt at the moment, she still found him irresistible. That undeniable, electric chemistry was one of the reasons she knew she loved him. Normally, if a man pissed her off she was through with him. But with Johnny, it was just the opposite, which served to make her want him even more.
Vivana didn’t set the alarm on purpose, and that was because she wanted him to oversleep so they could spend the night together. She wanted him to stop asking her about it because, although she had no problem lying to him to cover her real intent, she didn’t want to begin the day that way. They’d just spent their first night together and she’d wanted nothing more than to lie in his arms and start the morning off by making love. But instead they brought in the day with Johnny’s obvious disappointment about spending the night with her, which prompted his rush to get back home. She couldn’t help but feel hurt from his actions, and what he did next added salt to her fresh wounds.
“Aren’t you going to get dressed?” he asked as he fastened his leather belt around his taut waist.
“I don’t have a curfew,” she responded. She sat up in bed, letting the thin white sheet fall to her stomach, revealing a set of heavy triple D’s that she knew Johnny couldn’t resist. But to her dismay, he didn’t even look twice.
Johnny sat on the edge of the bed and quickly pulled on his argyle socks before slipping his feet into his stylish Brooks Brothers brown calfskin loafers. “Your husband wasn’t expecting you back home last night?”
“No, he thinks I’m out of town on business. But even if I wasn’t, we sleep in separate bedrooms most of the time.”
Johnny paused and looked into her eyes for the first time since he’d woken up. “I didn’t know that.”
Vivana wanted to shake her head. She wondered how much Johnny paid attention to the things she told him. During one of their early conversations a few months ago she’d let him know that she and Samuel rarely slept together.
Over the last six months it had become a normal occurrence for her to doze off in her home office, or the couch in the family room, or the sectional in the basement, and she wouldn’t come upstairs until the next morning, well after her husband had left for work. She’d intentionally slipped this information into a conversation she’d had with Johnny so he would know that she wasn’t sleeping with her husband, let alone having sex with him on a regular basis. But instead of reminding him of that important detail, she decided to use it as an opportunity to satisfy her curiosity about his situation at home. “My husband and I don’t have that kind of relationship,” she said, sounding nonchalant. “When the love is gone it’s hard to lie beside someone at night. I’m sure you know what I mean.”
Johnny was silent and didn’t say a word. Not only did he not comment, he still hadn’t shown the least bit of interest in how sexy she looked, baring her hefty breasts that he normally loved to touch, suck, and lick. Instead of engaging her, he suddenly became as quiet as a mouse. Vivana wanted to come right out and ask him what the hell was up. But instead, she continued to play it smooth. “Even though we overslept, last night was special because for the first time in a very long time I didn’t have to sleep alone.” She waited for him to say something, hopefully the same thing, but instead he clasped his Patek Philippe to his wrist and walked toward the door.
“I’ve got to get home. I’ll call you later,” Johnny said.
Vivana’s eyes got big. Oh, hell no! she wanted to scream. I know this Negro ain’t gonna leave up outa here without giving me a kiss, or a hug, or something!
Johnny must have sensed the drama that was about to ensue because just as Vivana was about to go off, he turned and walked back to the bed where she was lying. “Last night was incredible, baby,” he said as he looked into her eyes. He kissed her deeply, touched her right breast, and tweaked her nipple between his fingers until she moaned.
She wanted the moment to last, but just as quickly as he’d kissed her, he pulled away and was out the door.
As Vivana replayed the scene in her head from this morning, and then thought about the conversation she’d just had with Johnny, she got more and more upset. She couldn’t understand why her lover was suddenly acting as if he didn’t have time for her—and for what? . . . So his wife wouldn’t be upset with him? The very thought made Vivana so angry she wanted to hit something.
She looked down at her cell phone and stared at the pictures she’d taken of him last night after he’d fallen asleep. His strong, naked body was a work of art, and his face looked peaceful as he rested. She’d taken several shots of him with the sheets draped over his chest and then a few with them gathered around his waist. She’d even snuggled beside him and switched the camera to front-facing mode so she could take a few selfies. As she admired the pictures, the thought of Johnny lying in bed next to anyone other than her made Vivana feel a kind of anger that frightened even her.
“Johnny’s wife doesn’t know how to take care of him the way I do,” she said aloud. “If she was handling her business, he wouldn’t be with me,” she said to herself with conviction. But deep down, Vivana questioned whether her declaration was entirely true. After all, he didn’t comment about his sleeping arrangements at home
, and he’d rushed off this morning for fear that his wife would be mad at him for staying out all night. Then, as if that wasn’t inconsiderate enough, he avoided giving her an answer when she’d made the point that if he didn’t love his wife, why did he care whether she was upset with him or not.
“Yeah, something’s definitely wrong,” Vivana whispered to herself. “It’s time for me to find out what the hell’s going on.”
Vivana pulled her compact out of her cosmetics bag and reapplied her bronze colored lipstick. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and wondered what Johnny’s wife looked like. A few clicks of her mouse had given her more accurate information about Geneva than Johnny had. Vivana discovered that Geneva was a hair stylist, not a healthcare worker as Johnny had told her, and according to Geneva’s five-star Yelp rating that was complete with rave reviews, she was excellent at what she did. But because Geneva was a low-key kind of person, she wasn’t active on a single social media site, and there were no pictures of her to be found.
Lately, Vivana was becoming more and more curious about Geneva, and now she knew she was going to have to make it a point to see the woman for herself. But in the meantime she focused her concentration on Johnny.
“Since he’s acting funny I’m gonna have to make sure I keep an eye on him.” Vivana placed her dark sunglasses on her face and watched from where she was parked across the street as Johnny walked out of his office building and climbed into his spotless SUV. She waited a minute or two before she pulled out, making sure to stay several car lengths behind him. “Here we go,” she said with a smile.
Chapter 8
SAMUEL
Samuel should have felt tired, frustrated, angry, and disappointed, but instead his mood was brighter than the sun that had been shining all day. It was seven p.m., and he was standing at the entrance of the school auditorium, smiling as he greeted the teachers, staff, and volunteers who’d assembled for Sandhill’s open house meeting.
Secret Indiscretions Page 7
